Pediatrics – Public Health | Links Medicus Content Curation & Alerts in Medicine

With 105 national SSB taxes in effect covering 51% of the world’s population, SSB taxes are no longer a novel policy tool. https://t.co/P0TvIdB4D3

— JAMA Network Open (@JAMANetworkOpen) March 29, 2023

Updated WHO Guidelines | COVID-19 boosters no longer routinely recommended for low-risk groups

30 Mar, 2023 | 14:33h | UTC

Summary: The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has revised its COVID-19 vaccination roadmap in light of the Omicron variant and widespread population immunity. The revised roadmap prioritizes protecting those at the highest risk of severe disease and death while maintaining resilient health systems. It introduces cost-effectiveness considerations for vaccinating lower-risk individuals, such as healthy children and adolescents, and presents revised booster dose recommendations.

Priority groups are categorized as high, medium, and low, based on factors like risk of severe disease and death. People in the high-priority group, consisting of older adults, individuals with significant comorbidities or immunocompromising conditions, pregnant persons, and frontline health workers, are advised to receive additional boosters 6 or 12 months after the last dose. The medium priority group, which includes healthy adults without comorbidities and children with comorbidities, is recommended to receive primary series and first booster doses. However, SAGE no longer routinely recommends additional boosters for this group due to limited public health gains.

For the low-priority group, encompassing healthy children and adolescents, vaccination decisions should take into account factors such as disease prevalence and cost-effectiveness. It is important to note that the public health benefits of vaccinating healthy children and adolescents are considerably lower compared to established essential vaccines for children, like rotavirus, measles, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.

News Release: SAGE updates COVID-19 vaccination guidance – World Health Organization

Commentaries:

No More COVID-19 Boosters for Healthy People, WHO Experts Recommend – Health Policy Watch

WHO vaccine advisers update COVID vaccine recommendations – CIDRAP

M-A | The efficacy of Kangaroo-Mother care to the clinical outcomes of LBW and premature infants

21 Mar, 2023 | 13:35h | UTC

Summary: Kangaroo-Mother Care (KMC) is a method that involves skin-to-skin contact between the mother and newborn, frequent exclusive or almost exclusive breastfeeding, and early discharge. KMC is an alternative to traditional care interventions for low birthweight (LBW) infants, and the World Health Organization has recommended its use for LBW infants for over a decade.

The authors conducted a meta-analysis including 17 randomized clinical trials involving 17,668 participants. They found that KMC can significantly reduce neonatal mortality, lower hypothermia and sepsis rates, and reduce the duration of hospital stay. The authors suggest that KMC should be promoted, popularized, and standardized in clinical practice.

Article: The efficacy of Kangaroo-Mother care to the clinical outcomes of LBW and premature infants in the first 28 days: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials – Frontiers in Pediatrics

Effect of community-initiated kangaroo mother care on survival of infants with low birthweight: a randomised controlled trial – The Lancet

Effect of Community-Initiated Kangaroo Mother Care on Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Stress Among Mothers of Low-Birth-Weight Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Network Open

Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants – Cochrane Library

Preterm care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative risk analysis of neonatal deaths averted by kangaroo mother care versus mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection – EclinicalMedicine

COVID-19 pandemic measures may have caused reduced cognitive abilities among German students, study shows

20 Mar, 2023 | 13:50h | UTC

Summary: This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cognitive abilities of secondary school students in Germany. The study compared the intelligence test performance of 424 students in Grades 7 to 9, tested after the first six months of the pandemic, to the results of two highly comparable student samples tested in 2002 and 2012.

The study found that the 2020 sample had substantially lower intelligence test scores than both the 2002 and 2012 samples. The study also retested the 2020 sample after another full school year of COVID-19-affected schooling in 2021 and found no signs of catching up to previous cohorts or further declines in cognitive performance.

It can be inferred from the article that the lower intelligence test scores of the 2020 sample may have been caused by the prolonged disruption of regular schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdowns and school closures.

The study highlights the potential negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cognitive abilities of secondary school students and suggests that these consequences should be taken into account when conducting intelligence assessments in the post-pandemic era. It also recommends that appropriate compensatory measures be implemented to address any learning loss or cognitive deficits that may have resulted from the disruption of regular schooling during the pandemic.

Article: Students’ intelligence test results after six and sixteen months of irregular schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic – PLOS One

News Release: After 6 months of disrupted schooling during COVID-19, German students scored substantially lower on intelligence tests than comparative earlier cohorts, with the gap persisting after 16 months – PLOS

Report | Economic impact of overweight and obesity to surpass $4 trillion by 2035

6 Mar, 2023 | 14:32h | UTC

Summary:

A recent report from the World Obesity Federation has issued a warning that the number of people worldwide suffering from overweight or obesity could increase significantly by 2035, surpassing the 50% mark. The report, called the World Obesity Atlas 2023, also highlights the significant economic impact of this trend, estimating that the cost of overweight and obesity could reach $4.32tn annually by 2035, equivalent to almost 3% of the global GDP.

The report also identifies two groups that are particularly at risk: children and individuals from lower-income countries. Childhood obesity is a growing concern, as the report predicts it could double by 2035. Additionally, lower-income countries face a rapid increase in obesity prevalence, with nine out of 10 countries with the greatest expected increases in obesity coming from low or lower-middle income countries.

Report: World Obesity Atlas 2023

News release: Economic impact of overweight and obesity to surpass $4 trillion by 2035

Commentary: Report: Obesity could cost the world over $4 trillion a year by 2035 – STAT

Global cost of obesity-related illness to hit $1.2tn a year from 2025

Trends and predictions of malnutrition and obesity in 204 countries and territories: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 – eClinicalMedicine

Global inequalities in the double burden of malnutrition and associations with globalization: a multilevel analysis of Demographic and Healthy Surveys from 55 low-income and middle-income countries, 1992–2018.

The Lancet Series: The Double Burden of Malnutrition

M-A | Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and weight gain in children and adults

6 Mar, 2023 | 14:04h | UTC

Article: Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials – The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

News Release: More evidence that sugary drinks cause weight gain – University of Toronto

Perspective | The other long Covid: the pandemic took young people’s present. What will it do to their future?

3 Mar, 2023 | 14:05h | UTC

The other long Covid: The pandemic took young people’s present. What will it do to their future? – Vox

RCT | Impact of supplementation with milk–cereal mix during 6–12 months of age on growth at 12 months in Delhi, India

2 Mar, 2023 | 12:50h | UTC

Impact of supplementation with milk–cereal mix during 6–12 months of age on growth at 12 months: a 3-arm randomized controlled trial in Delhi, India – The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Commentary: High-protein supplementation improves linear growth in infants – 2 Minute Medicine

AAP Policy Statement | Crowding in the emergency department: challenges and recommendations for the care of children

28 Feb, 2023 | 13:50h | UTC

Guideline: Crowding in the Emergency Department: Challenges and Recommendations for the Care of Children – Pediatrics

Technical Report: Crowding in the Emergency Department: Challenges and Best Practices for the Care of Children – Pediatrics

News Release: Crowding in the ED: AAP guidance offers solutions to complex problem – American Academy of Pediatrics

RCT | Evaluation of BNT162b2 Covid-19 vaccine in children younger than 5 years of age

17 Feb, 2023 | 13:27h | UTC

Summary: The study was a combined phase 2-3 clinical trial that aimed to determine whether the BNT162b2 vaccine was safe, could elicit an immune response and was effective in preventing COVID-19 in healthy children. The trial was conducted on children aged 6 months to 11 years, with the findings presented for the 6 months to 4 years age group. The results indicated that the vaccine was safe, immunogenic, and effective in reducing the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 by 73.2% in children aged 6 months to 4 years. The vaccine was well-tolerated, and the side effects were mainly mild to moderate. The incidence of fever was similar among those who received the vaccine or a placebo.*

Article: Evaluation of BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine in Children Younger than 5 Years of Age – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

*Note: This summary was created through the collaboration of a medical editor and ChatGPT.

SR | The impact of interventions to prevent neonatal healthcare-associated infections in low- and middle-income countries

16 Feb, 2023 | 14:47h | UTC

The Impact of Interventions to Prevent Neonatal Healthcare-associated Infections in Low- and Middle-income Countries: A Systematic Review – The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal

SR | The impact of antimicrobial stewardship in children in low- and middle-income countries

16 Feb, 2023 | 14:46h | UTC

The Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Children in Low- and Middle-income Countries: A Systematic Review – The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal

Updated child and adolescent immunization schedule, United States, 2023

13 Feb, 2023 | 13:05h | UTC

Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age – Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention

Commentary: Immunization Schedule for Children, Teens Updated for 2023 – HealthDay

The Lancet Series | Breastfeeding 2023

13 Feb, 2023 | 12:52h | UTC

Homepage: Breastfeeding 2023 – The Lancet

Editorial: Unveiling the predatory tactics of the formula milk industry

Breastfeeding: crucially important, but increasingly challenged in a market-driven world

Marketing of commercial milk formula: a system to capture parents, communities, science, and policy

The political economy of infant and young child feeding: confronting corporate power, overcoming structural barriers, and accelerating progress

Stemming commercial milk formula marketing: now is the time for radical transformation to build resilience for breastfeeding

Commentaries:

Expert reaction to review of formula baby milk – Science Media Centre

Lancet Series outlines baby formula companies’ exploitative marketing playbook to sell products – University of the Witwatersrand/News Medical

Systematic estimates of the global, regional and national under-5 mortality burden attributable to birth defects in 2000–2019

10 Feb, 2023 | 13:46h | UTC

Systematic estimates of the global, regional and national under-5 mortality burden attributable to birth defects in 2000–2019: a summary of findings from the 2020 WHO estimates – BMJ Open

AAP Policy Statement | Drinking water from private wells and risks to children

3 Feb, 2023 | 14:08h | UTC

Policy Statement: Drinking Water From Private Wells and Risks to Children – Pediatrics

Technical Report: Drinking Water From Private Wells and Risks to Children – Pediatrics

The introduction of sugary drinks tax in the UK was followed by a drop in obesity cases among children

1 Feb, 2023 | 13:32h | UTC

Associations between trajectories of obesity prevalence in English primary school children and the UK soft drinks industry levy: An interrupted time series analysis of surveillance data – PLOS Medicine

News Releases:

UK soft drink taxes associated with decreased obesity in girls – PLOS

Sugary drinks tax may have prevented over 5,000 cases of obesity a year in year six girls alone – University of Cambridge

Commentaries:

Expert reaction to study looking at the UK sugary drinks tax and obesity in children – Science Media Centre

UK sugar tax ‘prevents 5,000 cases of obesity in year 6 girls annually’ – The Guardian

WHO manual on sugar-sweetened beverage taxation policies to promote healthy diets.

M-A: Outcomes following taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Public Policies to Reduce Sugary Drink Consumption in Children and Adolescents – Pediatrics

Cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages: What works? – Cochrane Library

Association of a Beverage Tax on Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages With Changes in Beverage Prices and Sales at Chain Retailers in a Large Urban Setting – JAMA

Impact of sugar‐sweetened beverage taxes on purchases and dietary intake: Systematic review and meta‐analysis – Obesity Reviews

Association between tax on sugar sweetened beverages and soft drink consumption in adults in Mexico: open cohort longitudinal analysis of Health Workers Cohort Study – The BMJ

Potential impact on prevalence of obesity in the UK of a 20% price increase in high sugar snacks: modelling study – The BMJ

Changes in food purchases after the Chilean policies on food labelling, marketing, and sales in schools: a before and after study – The Lancet Planetary Health

Association of a Sweetened Beverage Tax With Soda Consumption in High School Students – JAMA Pediatrics

Sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: Lessons to date and the future of taxation – PLOS Medicine

Banning the promotion of soft drinks could be more effective than a sugar tax – The Conversation

Sugar tax: why health experts want it but politicians and industry are resisting – The Guardian

Commentary from the author on Twitter (thread – click for more)

📢 19 months after the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (sugar tax) was implemented, we found an 8% relative reduction in obesity levels in 10/11 year old girls. Greatest reductions were found in girls from schools in the most deprived areas https://t.co/pYDHZZJrur

— Dr Nina Rogers (@Nina_Tr_Rogers) January 26, 2023